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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – President Bush announced two relief measures for Katrina victims on Thursday that are intended to cut through the red tape of getting financial assistance.
"Our goal is not to simply provide benefits, but to make them easy and simple as possible to collect," Bush said.
The first measure is to offer $2,000 in cash assistance per household for food, clothing and other essentials.
To get that money, victims first must register with FEMA either online (at www.fema.gov) or by phone (1-800-621-3362). Payment will be made in one of three ways: electronic transfer to recipients' bank accounts; by check mailed to a recipient's location; or by debit card, although at the moment debit-card distribution will be limited to those in the Houston Astrodome.
For those in shelters who haven't registered and can't get to a FEMA recovery center, phones and sometimes laptops will be made available to allow evacuees to register, said FEMA spokesman Mark Pfeifle.
President Bush said there were 3,000 people currently taking calls around the clock, but that many more were being trained to do so as well. To date, he said, more than 400,000 families have already been registered. "We still have tens of thousands more people who need to be processed, so I ask for your patience if you experience problems in trying to contact FEMA."
FEMA has not indicated how many of the families already registered have received any cash assistance yet nor how long on average it will take to receive the money after registering.
The second measure the president announced was to grant evacuee status to every resident in counties declared disaster areas as a result of Katrina. That move is intended to facilitate their receiving federal benefits to which they're entitled, in any state where they may be currently.
"(W)ith this evacuee status, you will be able to register for your benefits without many of the traditional administrative requirements for verification and enrollment," Bush said.
Those federal benefits include Medicaid, food stamps, housing, child care, school lunches, unemployment compensation and job training.
Any evacuee can contact the nearest state or local benefits office, Bush said, to get information about enrolling. And for those in shelters, state enrollment teams are set up or have established 1-800 numbers evacuees can call, he noted. Those with Internet access can go to www.govbenefits.gov.
Bush also said that all states opening their doors to evacuees would be reimbursed by the federal government. "We understand this is going to strain your budgets. And so the federal government...will operate under this principle: You should not be penalized for showing compassion," he said.
Lastly, the president declared Sept. 16 a national day of prayer and remembrance to honor those who died in Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath.
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Katrina victims' tax deadline extended. Read more here.
Click here to read more about ways lenders are offering relief to Katrina victims.
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